as president obama and congressional leaders continue to negotiate ways to avoid the fiscal cliff, the congressional black caucus will adhere to the following principles in considering its support of any agreement. first, we must protect our social safety net. social security should be completely off the negotiating table since it doesn't add to the deficit. additionally, the congressional black caucus will oppose any plans that changes eligibility for medicare. investments in job training, education, health care, transportation and infrastructure should not be cut to pay for the extension of any of the bush-era tax cuts. these vital government investments are critical to our nation's short-term recovery and long-term economic prosperity. the simpson-bowles commission set a goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. considering that goal, $1.5 trillion in cuts have already been agreed to through the spending caps in the budget control act of 2011. nondefense discretionary spending as a percentage of g.d.p. is at a 50-year low. additional savings through military ope